What is history?
 History as happening- in one sense it its everything
that has occurred or has been thought from the
beginning of time to the last elapsed instant
 It could be biological history which may extend to the
last third of the period
 For social history this may involved since man
appeared at the earliest and emerged from barbarism
to what he is today
History as record
 This refers to the documented history of man and his
society
 This means the proper citation of sources i.e.
Bibliography and footnotes
History as a field of study
 What has been preserved from the past
 It is a study of man and his achievements from the
beginning of written records to the present time
 It is a major part of higher education that is involved in
the chronological study of man from his primitive
form to the present
History as literature
 An effective presentation of the unfolding of events
 The historian has the ability to depict the unraveling of
fateful events and to portrayt the rise and deterioration
of character that ranks it with novels and epic poetry
A vicarious experience
 History incorporates man’s unique ability to
incorporate into his personal experience based on his
recollections.
 Man’s thinking is consciously or unconsciously based
on the recollection of the past.
 “When experience is not retained, as among savages,
infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana
History as professional training
 The discipline of history offers training for useful and
satisfying, although, underpaid employment
 Direct- There has been growing appreciation of
history in various fields such as the armed forces, local
government, federal government, medicine, etc.
 Indirect – cognate fields and professions recognized
that historical study is indispensable to their own
proficiency as historians broaden their knowledge
about the subject matter
How to study history
 It is important to plot a system in undertaking a
historical study rather than desultory reading and last
minute cramming.
 Prepare and conscientiously follow a planned schedule
of two or three your study periods throughout each
week at times when you will be most alert and in a
place free from distraction.
Outlines are important
 Academically it is expected to have at least two hours a
week to grasp the over-all theme and content
 Reread your work with an eye to factual details and while
doing so make a succinct outline in tabulated form of not
more than one page for each assignment in the assignment
or chapter
 Repeat this process for your notes on each lecture
 Review the outlines and checklists at least once a week
being sure that you grasp the relationship between the facts
and larger patterns of interpretation by your outlines. You
need both sound structural materials and a good blue print
to build a satisfactory house.
Make follow-ups
 Reread portions in your book or lecture notes which
seem vague to your memory or understanding
 Make out a sample examination on what you are trying
to research and revise your answers to make them
clearer, better organized, more comprehensive and
interpretative
 At the same time make them more brief and up to the
point
The Choice of topic
 In selecting a topic for research one must be certain that
the subject matter meets the following criteria:
 Value – Your topic must be able to shed light on a
significant and a universal aspect of human experience
perhaps through approaching it as a case study or by
demonstrating its connection with a larger movement
 This depends on the treatment- for example a biography of
an obscure person or a small community take son a larger
meaning as a representative of far-reaching development
 Genealogy and antiquarianism (concerning itself with
historical facts in themselves) maybe useful to the
historian but not to history
Originality
 Originality -The subject must contain new evidence
and this novelty must be substantial and significant
 The topic may bring new evidence that is valid and
demonstratable
 Practicality – The research undertaking must be
feasible in respect to the following:
a. Availability of sources – The researcher must have
access to sources without unreasonable inconvenience
and with the assurance that you will be able to use
them without the owner or the repository attempting
to censor your conclusion
b. Your ability to make proper use of these sources – the
research must be done through your proper ability and
resources, training including foreign languages and other
prerequisites. These includes the following which is the
background of historical scholarship
1. Practice in articulate and graceful expression - this
includes written and oral ability.
2. Proficiency in reading and speaking one or more foreign
languages – invaluable in historical research
3. Mastery of a secondary discipline (i.e. Art, economics,
medicine and natural science) makes one a specialist in the
history of that field. It becomes feasible as colleges are freed
from having to devote much of the freshman and sophomore
years to work for which the secondary schools should be
responsible
 Size – The scope of the topic must be suited to the
medium you are presenting it i.e. Term paper , seminar
report, article, thesis, dissertation, book. The size
should be suitable to the deadline you have to meet in
the completion of the research. Most topics can be
expanded to take in a larger field or contracted to some
constituent aspect after you have progressed
sufficiently in your research to have a more accurate
conception of the nature of your subject and the
sources that bear upon it.
 Unity – Every investigation or research must have a
unifying theme or be directed toward an integrating
question or proposition that offers you a point of the
departure, a direction of progression and the promise
of specific conclusion.
Historical scholarship should
include the following
 Aside from personal preparation i.e. Reading and speaking
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proficiency, knowledge of another language mastery of a
secondary discipline the researcher should also have the
following:
Equipment for utilizing the aspects of psychology as well as
culture
Imagination or rather understanding – the ability to
comprehend a way of life. i.e. Rural life, ethnic qualities
Differentiation between an antiquarian and the vocation of
history – pure antiquarianism tends to history and
consequences
Ability to see the causes and effects and what to do with
such information
 Broad culture – early home training is advantageous in
lifetime application of a culture of research
 Respect for the life of the scholar-teacher – The
scholar is also a teacher and is always in pursuit of the
truth which can only be gained through research